Shaoguan Tuhua

Shaozhou Tuhua (traditional: 韶州土話; simplified: 韶州土话 ''Sháozhōu Tǔhuà'' "Shaoguan Tuhua"), or simply Tuhua, is an unclassified Varieties of Chinese, Chinese variety spoken in the northern region of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, China. It is mutually unintelligible with Xiang Chinese, Xiang, Yue Chinese, Cantonese, and Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin.

Classification

Some scholars consider it to be an extension of Ping Chinese (''Pinghua'') in Guangxi. Others consider it to have a foundation in Song dynasty-era Middle Gan, mixed with Hakka, Cantonese, and Southwestern Mandarin.

Chen (2012) notes that the Shaoguan Tuhua of Shibei (石陂, in Zhenjiang District) shares many similarities with the Hakka Chinese, Hakka of Qujiang District, Shaoguan, Qujiang District, due to intensive contact.

Dialects

Shaozhou Tuhua is also known as ''Yuebei Tuhua'' (粤北土话, "Northern Guangxi/Guangdong Tuhua"), and as ''Shīpóhuà'' (虱婆话, "Shipo dialect"), ''Shīnǎhuà'' (虱乸话, "Shina dialect"), or ''Shīpóshēng'' (虱婆声, "Shipo accent") in its own region. It is also known as ''Pingdi Yaohua'' (平地瑶话, "Lowland Yao dialect"), locally ''Piongtuojo'' or ''Piongtoajeu''; "Yao" here might be a cultural designation, as only half of the one million speakers are classified as ethnic Yao people, Yao.''Ming studies'', 34–35:55, University of Minnesota, 1995

Li & Zhuang (2009) cover the following dialects of ''Shaoguan Tuhua''.
#Dacun (大村), Qujiang District, Shaoguan, Qujiang District
#Xiangyang (向阳), Wujiang District, Shaoguan, Wujiang District
#Shibei (石陂), Zhenjiang District
#Zhoutian (周田), Renhua County
#Shitang (石塘), Renhua County
#Guitou (桂头), Ruyuan County

Zhang Shuangqing (2004) covers five dialects of ''Lianzhou Tuhua'' ().
#Xingzi (星子) dialect: 120,000 speakers in Xingzi (星子), Qingjiang (清江), Shantang (山塘), Tanling (潭岭), Dalubian (大路边) towns, and parts of Mabu (麻步) and Yao'an (瑶安) towns
#Bao'an (保安) dialect: 30,000 speakers in Bao'an Town (保安镇), and parts of Longping Town (龙坪镇)
#:zh-tw:啊B声, Lianzhou (连州) dialect (locally called ''ᴀt24 pi55 sheng'' 声): 40,000 speakers in Lianzhou Town (连州镇) and Fucheng Town (附城镇)
#Xi'an (西岸) dialect (locally called Mansheng 蛮声): 30,000 speakers in Xi'an Town (西岸镇)
#Fengyang (丰阳) dialect (locally called Mansheng 蛮声): 50,000 speakers in Fengyang Town (丰阳镇), and parts of Zhugang (朱岗), Dongpo (东陂), and Yao'an (瑶安) towns

Distribution

Tuhua is retreating before Cantonese and Hakka Chinese, Hakka and is found in rural dialect islands in the northern Guangdong counties of Lechang, Renhua, Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, Qujiang District, Shaoguan, Qujiang, Nanxiong, Zhenjiang District, Zhenjiang, Wujiang District, Shaoguan, Wujiang (parts of Shaoguan prefecture-level city), and Lianzhou and Liannan Yao Autonomous County in Qingyuan, Guangdong, Qingyuan prefecture-level city.

See also

*Lingling dialect
*Maojia dialect

References

*

External links

Classification of Tuhua DialectsDivergent Chinese dialects database
(Academia Sinica)

{{Chinese language

Chinese-based pidgins and creoles
Guangdong
Guangxi